Liquidmetal Technologies Inc (LQMT)

[LQMT_EngineThatCould]

For those of you who have never handled anything containing (or coated with) Liquidmetal before, here's an easy way to catch a glimpse of the wonder that is LiquidMetal. I'm not an engineer. I have a Psychology degree, which I only utilize indirectly in my particular line of work. My point is, I won't be straining your scientific lexicon or revealing any groundbreaking discoveries here.

I bought a couple of those old Sandisk Liquidmetal thumb drives off Amazon and performed my own toughness tests last night. As I said, I studied experimental Psych, so I'm well aware that this test will not produce valid results. This venture was rather...primitive by design. But anyone could spend $7 like I did and replicate the experiment. You will actually spend more on the requisite bottle of wine you'll procure to maximize the enjoyment of the test.

Even though Sandisk employed what we now consider to be an "older iteration" of The Technology, I really just wanted to inflict some intense real world abuse on the metal to see how it held up. Here's my story:

Scratch test:
Other than the colored painting on the top (not sure what that's made of, but its pretty durable), I was not able to scratch the metal with any other object I could find around my house/tool shed. I did, however, damage any object I used to scratch it (keys, nails, hand tools, hand saw, sandpaper, rocks, etc. I rubbed it on the pavement, and every other rough surface I could find. Almost every mark I left on the LQMT could be polished off with my fingers. It was pretty dirty by the end.

I tied one of the pieces to a string and dragged it behind my car for 6 city miles. I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seat right now. More on that test at then end.

Flex Test:
Using various types of tools, I simply could not deform any part of the LQMT casing. I could hardly even bend it, and it always bounced back to the original shape. I did succeed in ruining a pair of Kobalt pliers, though.

Using 2 sets of vise grips, I finally bested the LQMT casing. Over and over, I tried to bend it using all of my might. Suddenly, with a LOUD metallic SNAP, it literally SPARKED in my hand as it shattered into four pieces. One of the shards narrowly missed my sleeping dog across the room. It thought it was pretty cool. My wife actually screamed when it snapped.

I picked up one of those razor sharp slivers and a hammer and proceeded to nail it into my workbench. It didn't flinch, and I easily drove it about 1/2" deep into the 4" wooden beam. I had to pull it out using pliers. The metal shard was still razor sharp, and unfazed by the abuse.

I put all the pieces into a ziplock. It's worth mentioning that it really makes a unique sound when I shake the baggie. It doesn't quite sound like glass, but I've never heard any other metal make that sound either. Its just a unique reverb, one that truly does sound like a "glassy metal".

The shape of the shards were also...very glass-like. The shattered pieces resembled those of a plate glass window. The breaks were very "clean", no tiny chips or specs of dust left behind. The pieces all fit perfectly together like a puzzle. Still, they were NOT bent at all, though.

I was the most surprised upon my examination of the part that had been (to use the scientifically precise term) dragged through the street for 6 miles. Without exaggerating, my iPhone 5 has more scars from riding in my pocket than this thing has right now. The corners took the worst beating, but its really not even that noticeable! My iPhone 4 once fell off my lap in a parking lot...and it broke my heart. 2 corners of the phone were deeply gauged. After 6 miles, the piece of LQMT was not scarred as deeply as that iPhone was.

My wife has always supported me in this investment (Don't ask me why). But by her own admission, she really doesn't understand me when I talk shop with her. She usually just nods and says "oh, that really IS interesting! You're so smart, honey". I've always been a great bullsheeter.

But last night, my friends, was the very moment when my wife truly realized why I've been so obsessed with LQMT. Seeing it with her own eyes really made a difference. After a brief golf clap, she just smiled at me, giggled, and said "Yay! We're gonna be RICH, aren't we!"

Spouses sure can say the darnedest things...

GLTA,
-Engine